12 Great Child-Friendly Restaurants in Singapore (REVISED!)

[UPDATED ON 6 SEP 2016]

Fresh from revising my list of Singapore's Top Indoor Playgrounds, I figured another list which could do with some updating is the one which involves some of the most Kids-Friendly Restaurants in Singapore.

Because let's face it - parents are always on the constant lookout for restaurants that satisfy both their palates and their children's with extra activities to keep them occupied. So here is a listing of 12 kid-friendly restaurants that we have been to and hopefully, it will also give you some enjoyable and affordable dining options that will leave everyone in your family feeling full and happy.

1. Eatplaylove Cafe

Kids Like: Where else in Singapore can you find a quaint retro cafe that serves up reasonable food fare, coupled with an awesome crafting corner for kids? EatPlayLove Cafe is such a place - a stylish retro cafe with all things vintage, whimsical and full of nostalgia. An entire crafting corner for kids is THE main highlight for kids here, with loads of crafting materials and ideas abound.

Kids Eat: The eatery serves a mix of Thai-inspired cuisine, Western dishes and sandwiches, and the best thing is that the prices are rather reasonable with each dish averaging $10 to $15. Kids should adore the Pineapple rice and Macaroni & Cheese.

Price Range: $$ per pax | Crafting Corner Costs: $5/child per 2 hrs on Weekdays & $5/child per for 1st hour on Weekends, Public Holidays and School Holidays. Subsequent charges are at $2.50 per 30-minute block. *Craft Prices correct at time of printing

Kids Like: If your kids have as a voracious appetite like mine, you can probably empathize how dining outside is getting tougher on the wallet. So thankfully, there is Saizeriya – a Japanese chain of casual, low-priced Italian Restaurant famed for its wallet-friendly jaw-dropping prices. There are no special playrooms or activities for kids here though, but the food prices are enough to turn us into repeat customers, especially with the Free Flow Kids Drink Bar ($1.40 per child)!

Kids Eat: Just how affordable is the food at Saizeriya? Try the half-dozen escargots for $5.90! Or how about the Pineapple & Bacon pizza at $6.40 and Chicken Bolognese Cheese-baked rice at $4.90? Overall, the food is above average and that alone will keep us going back for more.

Kids Like: Tucked away in a hidden corner of Changi is this gem of an alfresco dining place that whips up delicious tze-char food. Families can choose to dine on the boardwalk, right beside a kick-ass scenic coastal view and under the rustling palm trees. Kids will be preoccupied with the mini playground, wooden swing, hammock and the vast open space. Or if that isn't enough, there is always the common sightings of aeroplanes which whizz by as they are making their landing at nearby Changi Airport.

Kids Eat: Admittedly, the main draw here is the secluded location so while the food wouldn’t win any food awards, the tze-char fare is pretty decent. The dishes that particularly stood out were the Fish Head Curry (their signature dish), Home-made Tofu, Salted Yolk Prawns and Fried Mee Sua.

Kids Like: If you are looking for a dining place where kids (and the parents) can play with food to their hearts' content, then Nook is it. This is one cool place where you get to make, doodle, flip your own pancakes and eat your own creations! And the best part? The kids polished off every single morsel on their plates without me having to nag.

Kids Eat: Pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes! But in case you are craving for something saltier, the restaurant serves all-day breakfast meals too. But the one must-try item on the menu is Nook’s Awesome Cheese Burger soup – yes, I never knew that slurping the soup form of a cheeseburger could be so addictive!

Kids Like: At over 1,000 square metres, this newest Marché restaurant – and its third in Singapore - is one absolute winner for families. Of course there are the typical colouring sheets and craft sets to hold the kids’ attention, but what they will really dig is the Windmill-themed play area! Almost twice as large as its counterpart in Marché 313 Somerset, the kids’ double-storey play area comes with a mini-bridge and a stairway leading to a hideout on the second floor.

Kids Eat: Marché takes pride in serving healthy nutritional food. For $10.90+, kids get to choose from homemade pastas, pizzas, rosti and crepes with a drink. For parents with young toddlers, a microwave at the Baby Service Station beside the kids’ corner is available.

Kids Like: Located in the redeveloped part of the Central Business District (CBD), The Bank Bar + Bistro exudes an old world charm with its dark wood furnishings and leather seats, complete with motifs of Straits Settlement money. But what really endeared me to the place was a separate playroom specially devoted to the kids while the adults tucked into saliva-inducing Weekend Roast and All-Day Breakfast offerings (9am – 6pm on weekends).

Kids Eat: The kids’ menu consists of the usual suspects – ham & cheese sandwich, pancakes, fish & chips and pasta while the adults can take great delight in choosing between Roasted Striploin, Roasted Half-spring Chicken and other All-Day Breakfast items. And here’s something even sweeter - Kids eat FREE all weekend (information correct at press time)! For every main course ordered, your kid will get to enjoy his/her entree FREE-OF-CHARGE.

Kids Love: Located in the grounds of the Goodman Arts Centre (near Mountbatten MRT), Cafe Melba exudes a laid-back charm, with a rather spacious interior and exterior to match. The café faces an expansive green field, where footballs and rugby balls are freely available for kids to play with. Come every weekend (or public holidays), two bouncy castles will be set up on the lawns which will no doubt bring joy to every single kid.

Kids Eat: Cafe Melba serves up food inspired from Melbourne and Asia (MELB + A = MELBA). A must-try is the Pancakes, which are fluffy, rather cake-like and non-greasy.

Kids Love: Tucked away in a sleepy corner of Gillman Barracks, Timbre @ Gillman is exactly the sort of place where one can afford to kick back and chill the weekend away. Especially if you head down on the first Saturday of every month, where the Saturday Social BBQ will offer lots of craft activities to keep your young ones duly occupied. Or how about the huge open green field to let them just run amok as you sip on your pint of ice cold beer?

Kids Eat: Adults can their their pick from Baby Back Ribs, Pork Sausage, Sirloin Steak, Lamb Leg, Chicken or Squid (between S$12++ to S$18++) and complement with one of Timbre's excellent beer selection. Kids will be able to place their own orders from the Kids Menu via an iPad, which offers the usual suspects like Fish & Chips and Spaghetti Bolognese.

Kids Like: Who can say no to a hearty brunch on a lazy Sunday morning with the entire family? Especially when a huge bouncy castle is thrown into the mix! That’s right - a Bouncy Castle is specially inflated for the kids every Sunday (11am to 3pm) and it is strategically placed right beside the outdoor dining area, so that parents are able to sneak a peek at what their young-lings are up to via a see-through netting at the side of the bouncy castle.

Kids Eat: We had the Hoegaarden Battered Fish & Chips while the kids tucked into the Eggs Florentine and Pandan-Coconut Pancakes with Gula Melaka Syrup.

Kids Like: Another DIY pancakes eatery where kids need no invitation to play with their food, kids can have their say in choosing the pancake batter and toppings. Squirt, slap and paint the griddle with whatever batter you fancy and then splatter it with your choice of fixings and toppings, before eating it all up like a messed up kid. Who says food can't be fun? And the best part - kids can never complain about the food because they made it themselves!

Kids Eat: Purely pancakes with five batter mixes to choose from – Buttermilk, Wholegrain, Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Zucchini. Yes, the latter is a rather refreshing and interesting flavor I have to say.

Kids Love: Not only is it a retro-themed cafe, it is an antiques boutique and vintage store as well. Stepping into Old Habits is like being transported back in time - to an era that parents grew up in, where the decor ranged from wooden cabinets filled with antiques to vintage clocks and old signs adorning the walls. There is also a huge suitcase filled with toys of yesteryears that customers are welcomed to play with. Nothing like some vintage playthings to let the kids understand how we parents whiled away the time during the non-smartphone days!

Kids Eat: Old Habits serves a mix of classics like sandwiches, shepherd's pies and other finger food. While the food would not win any awards, the cafe's ambience and contents get huge thumbs up from all of us. It is the perfect place to just chill with family and friends, in a setting that will no doubt bring back loads of childhood memories - and share them with the kids at the same time. Oh, and did I mention there are THREE playgrounds located behind Old Habits as well?

Kids Love: If you are looking to dine at somewhere in Singapore that is truly out of the way, Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafe is in a location that is as obscure as it gets. Situated beside Seletar Airport and on the first level of MAJ Aviation Building at Seletar Aerospace, my recommendation is to grab a seat outside the cafe. The main reason? Kids will have a field day counting the number of planes taking off and landing on the Seletar Airport runway. As an added bonus, mini chalkboards have been attached to the fence for kids to doodle away while parents sip their coffee.

Kids Eat: The cafe’s dining menu is predominantly Western style, with dishes such as Fish & Chips and Chicken Chop. In addition, there are also Asian options like Katsu Don and Beef Rendang to cater to different tastebuds.